Roshambo Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I'm prescribed lamictal 150mg, but I don't take it because I was on it twice before , a year ago, at 400mg. I don't remember much about the effects other than it made me feel weak, feverish, and too "crystal clear sharp but not in a good way" if you get what I mean. It could've been because I was on a clusterfuck of terrible meds, prozac, lithium, geodon, etc. But when I was on it with prozac at 400mg a few years ago, it didn't do much of anything. I don't even think it did anything at all. I want to try going back on it, I already know the precautions and how to taper up safely, but what is it like when you first start it? Because I'm dealing with enough side effects and brainfog already and I don't need more problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I'm currently in the process of going back on to lamotrigine (lamictal generic) after a few years of being off it, and my pdoc has set up a very slow schedule, starting at 12.5mg. It's going to take me a total of about 2 months to get to the target therapeutic dose of 400mg. I've been at 12.5mg for nearly two weeks and pretty much feel nothing. I go up to 25mg on Friday. Does your pdoc know that you're not taking a med that's prescribed to you, AND that you're planning on putting yourself back on it again? If that is the case, it really isn't the smartest way to conduct your relationship with him/her - basically, you're self-medicating, and that's a pretty good way to wreck the teamwork relationship you should have with your care provider. It sounds like you're really struggling with a mix of unpleasant side effects, and I seriously encourage you to have an open and honest conversation with your pdoc about what's going on. If s/he thinks you're taking the lamictal and you're not, then s/he is approaching your treatment without all the necessary information. Please be careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shesellsseashells Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Why are Prozac, Lithium and Geodon "terrible meds"? Two out of those three are helping me right now. I didn't think that Lamictal was doing much for me rather than affecting my short-term memory. I've been on it a couple of times, the most recent time for a couple of years. However, I recently increased from 200 mg to 400 mg and there has been a noticeable difference for me. It isn't the same kind of "Aha!" that occurs for me when an AD starts working, but my moods are more stable and my other medications affect me differently. (Prozac made me hypomanic/mixed when I was taking 200 mg Lamictal but it does not do so at 400 mg Lamictal as my pdoc predicted.) I agree with Mia re:addressing this with your pdoc. If you are going to go back on the med you will need to start with much smaller doses than are currently being prescribed to you--this isn't a med to titrate up on on one's own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjimjam Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Why do you feel you need to keep secret which medications you are actually taking? Is your pdoc not open to working with you to find meds that he thinks are appropriate and you are willing to take? I think you should be honest with your pdoc. If meds are having "dealbreaker" side-effects, tell him. If he doesn't value your input, find a new doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgetmenot220 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 you don't want to mess with putting yourself back on lamictal, just go to your doctor and talk about it. some people start out slower than others, i started out at 25 mg and went up to 50, then to 100, then 200, 300, and now 400. I have cognitive side effects but those always start at 300 mg for me and there was no difference at 400 mg. I hope your doctor listens to your concerns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'm not sure how you would go about putting yourself back on Lamictal without getting prescribed the 25 and 50 mg tablets. Cutting larger dose tablets is unreliable to get down to that small of a dose. Go too fast and you risk SJS. As to what to expect, I experienced a lot of anxiety during my titration which leveled off until it was time to up the dose again. Once I reached my target dose, I didn't have any problems with anxiety. I agree with the others that you need to talk to your pdoc and be honest about which meds that you are and are not taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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